This application is related to Disclosure Document No. 338,561 filed on Aug. 23, 1993 and Disclosure Document No. 339,586 filed on Sep. 21, 1993.
Pallets are typically made of wood and are used for supporting various items for ease of handling by a fork lift truck or the like for transport within a plant or warehouse or to another location. Wood pallets are typically heavy and bulky, thereby discouraging re-use by being shipped back to the shipper of goods for which the pallets were used. Thus, most wood pallets, while still in good condition, end up being discarded in the dumps, thereby contributing to the exhaustion of relatively scarce dump facilities around the country. Wood pallets are susceptible to easy breakage when being handled by forklifts during usage. Once broken, repair is normally not done, since labor is expensive. Thus, broken pallets certainly end up in the dump sites around the country.
Pallet users are therefore moving toward using plastic pallets instead of wood pallets. For example, the Federal Government perceives plastic pallets as environmentally preferable to wood pallets and is considering requiring plastic pallets in its procurement of products.
The present invention is directed to meeting the demand for plastic pallets that would solve the problems associated with wood pallets.